Good question. We've been asking it for weeks, and no one has a good answer to it. How did Democrats get so invested in a political novice with no track record of personal accomplishment or even full-time employment that they're willing to overlook Nazi tattoos, violence against women, sexting scandals, and online statements about women taking responsibility for rape?
Inquiring minds want to know, and not all of those are Republicans. Politico reports today that Senate Democrats have balked at endorsing Graham Platner for the Senate race against incumbent Susan Collins. They may also want to know why they've been put in this position in the first place, but only John Fetterman is honest enough to push back explicitly:
Platner’s decisive victory in Maine’s Democratic Senate primary quelled for now any serious discussion that he could be replaced as the party’s nominee in the wake of a recent bout of scandals. The party’s campaign arms were quick to indicate support for him after the race was called Tuesday night. Progressives took a victory lap while arguing their colleagues need to coalesce around the Maine nominee.
But a small yet notable faction of Capitol Hill Democrats still has qualms about the oysterman’s tumultuous past that has rattled some Maine voters — and what it could mean for their chances of defeating Sen. Susan Collins and taking back the upper chamber in November.
On Wednesday, several senators stopped short of outright endorsing Platner when asked by POLITICO. ... Sen. John Fetterman (D-Pa.), a frequent critic of his own party who has repeatedly raised concerns about Platner, said Maine Democrats have made their choice but “I would never [endorse Platner]. I’ll be a Democrat to refuse to carry water for that.”
Most of the Senate Democrats contacted offered more weasely words than Fetterman did. Mark Kelly, Catherine Cortez Masto, Tammy Duckworth, and Peter Welch either changed the subject or told Politico's reporters that Platner has "got things to explain," or "work to do," which means his asked-and-answered pose after the primary isn't selling even with fellow Democrats.
Raphael Warnock kept his distance with Semafor's Burgess Everett, too:
Warnock on Platner: “I have not endorsed in that race"
— Burgess Everett (@burgessev) June 11, 2026
“He has raised a number of issues that speak to where people are living and the struggles that they’re having … and that has struck a nerve with the people of Maine,” Warnock added. “But he’s also had these other issues…
“But he’s also had these other issues that have emerged, and that too has struck a nerve.”
Apart from Fetterman, only Sen. Elissa Slotkin (D-MI) seems willing to publicly acknowledge the peril of endorsing a violent, Nazi-tatted creep for public office. Slotkin hasn't renounced Platner, but she knows what's coming:
Sen. Elissa Slotkin (D-Mich.) said her thinking on the race had not changed from a few weeks ago, saying she plans to “work with whoever the Mainers elect, period.” ...
Asked whether Platner needs to do more to address his past scandals, Slotkin simply replied: “I just hope I’m not caught again live on TV answering the same questions about bad behavior.”
At this point, that's a given, since Platner hasn't answered these "same questions" regarding his known scandals. All Platner has said is that those were from his "dark years," and that he's owed some sort of redemption by voters. As long as Platner takes that position, those questions will linger, and Republicans will force Democrats to answer for them. Politico notes that both the RNC and the NRSC plan to nationalize Platner for the midterms, hopefully in the same way that the DNC and DSCC once nationalized Todd Akin in the 2012 election cycle.
The problem for Democrats is what Don Rumsfeld called the "known unknowns" and the "unknown unknowns." Platner's Kik account is one of the known unknowns; he spent years on a social-media site known for its predatory access to adolescents, and his shirtless profile pic was on the account until last week. What happens when threads with women come to light, especially if the women turned out to be underage girls? As for the unknown unknowns, it's far from clear whether other women have similar accounts as Lyndsey Fifield, Jenny Racicot, and the third anonymous woman in the NYT account, or whether Platner has other social-media accounts he used for nefarious purposes.
Platner went on M-SNOW to claim that there are no more scandals to expose, and that anything new will just be made up:
Graham Platner says Republicans have “weird minds” and “are just making things up” about him.
— RNC Research (@RNCResearch) June 11, 2026
FACT: Platner has a Nazi tattoo
FACT: Platner has an account on “Predator’s Paradise”
FACT: Platner’s ex-girlfriends said he was abusive pic.twitter.com/GO303lzvK0
Nine days ago, Platner made that claim to Senate Democrats, only to be proven a liar when the NYT story dropped. He can't blame Senate Dems for wondering when the next shoe will drop, and whether there is an entire wardrobe of footwear to follow.
Editor’s Note: The 2026 Midterms will determine the fate of President Trump’s America First agenda. Republicans must maintain control of both chambers of Congress.
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